Comedy superstar Peter Kay left a tiny audience of just 120 people in Salford in stitches with a new "secret" gig - a day after announcing his huge comeback tour that will head to arenas across the UK. He had the crowd "creasing" so much they gave him TWO standing ovations at the show finale.
Peter was back at Salford's Lowry Theatre for one of his hush-hush "warm-up" gigs on Monday night. But this time the audience knew the secret is now OUT about his massive stand-up tour comeback that has got the nation beside themselves with excitement.
The Bolton comedy great played to the intimate audience of just 120 people at the Studio space inside The Lowry arts centre at Salford Quays on Monday. But despite being the talk of the country after his surprise tour announcement in the adverts of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here on Sunday night, he didn't make any mention about the new tour on stage.
Read more : Peter Kay fans can get early access to pre-sale tickets for tour - how to get it
Instead the Phoenix Nights star wowed fans with new material as well as nods to some of his classic comedy moments that have made him one of the nation's best-loved stars. And for the encore he apparently reprised one of his "best loved scenes".
One delighted fan said it gave the crowd an amazing taste of what's to come with his new "Better Late Than Never Tour" that will kick off with two huge nights on home turf at the AO Arena in Manchester on December 2 and 3. It will then head to arenas across the UK and Ireland for a mammoth 18-date tour stretching into 2023.
Tickets go on sale for his tour on Saturday, November 12 at 10am via Ticketmaster and See Tickets.
She said: "He did not say anything about announcing the tour, that wasn't mentioned at all, but the general feeling in the crowd was everyone was having a really fabulous time, people were creasing, people were chiming in at all the right times."
While fans weren't told to keep the gig a secret, they ALL had to hand their phones in on the way in, where they were locked in pouches. And when collecting tickets at the door they "weren't supposed to say who we were there to see", according to our mole.
She continued: "It was amazing, a really great night, there was lots of new material and then some nostalgic classic lines thrown in there as well, some great nods to the past and the crowd were really happy with that. In the encore he brought back an old favourite sketch and it still had the crowd creasing.
"The crowd gave two stading ovations and it was so well deserved. People going to see the tour are in for a real treat."
And Peter's performance has inspired her to be among the thousands, if not millions, trying to get tickets for the tour when it goes on sale this week. She said: "I'm absolutely going to try and get tickets. I'm on 02 priority so I'm going to try for the pre-sale on Thursday, my brother's going to try, I mean every one I know is going to try."
Fans had only found out about the "secret gig" tickets at The Lowry going on sale last week - and naturally they were snatched up within minutes of going on sale. Kay has performed a series of the warm-up gigs in recent weeks, that have been so secret that staff at The Lowry are not even allowed to speak about the fact they are happening there.
It's not known if he will do more of the secret gigs ahead of the tour itself.
When word got out about the tiny gigs in October, it had fuelled speculation that a tour announcement was on the way. But it still caught everyone by surprise when he emerged, carrying a carpet, on a TV advert in the first break of I'm a Celebrity on its big return to screens on Sunday night on ITV.
Now fans are gearing up to hit the refresh button on multiple devices when tickets go on sale this week. Pre-sales with various phone operators start on Thursday, while the general on-sale is on Saturday, November 12 at 10am.
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